we all hear these men telling in our own tongue what great things God has done."

All were astonished and bewildered and kept saying to one another, "What can this mean?"

Then Peter, with the Eleven, stood up and addresses them in a loud voice. "Men of Judea and dwellers in Jerusalem, have no doubt about this matter, but listen to what I say.

"No, this is what the prophet Joel predicted.

When they heard these words they were stung to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles. "Men and brothers, what shall we do?"

"I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have, this I am going to give to you; in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, walk!"

and recognized that this was the man who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him.

While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people crowded awe-struck around them, in what was known as Solomon's Portico.

"But God has thus fulfilled what he foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer.

Then they made the men stand before them and demanded, "By what power, or in what name, have you fellows done this?"

"What," said they, "shall we do with these men? For it is well known throughout Jerusalem that a notable miracle has been performed by them, and we cannot deny it.

but for our part, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

So when they had further threatened them they let the apostles go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them because of the people, for everybody was glorifying God over what had happened.

As soon as the apostles were released, they went to their friends, and told what the high priests and elders had said.

In this way Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement" is what it means), who was a native Cyprus,

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened;

When the officer in charge of the Temple and the high priest heard these words, they were perplexed concerning them, wondering what would come of it.

He said: "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.

"What God said was this. "'His offspring will sojourn in a foreign land where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

"Said they to Aaron. "Make Gods for us who shall march in front of us! As for this Moses who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has happened to him.

"And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to this idol, and began to rejoice over what they had made with their hands.

"The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet; What kind of house will you build for me? saith the Lord. Or what resting-place shall I have?

The crowd with one accord were giving heed to what he said, when they heard and saw the signs that he did.

So Philip ran up, and heard him reading Isaiah the Prophet, and said to him. "Do you understand what you are reading?"

And as they were going on their way they came to a certain water, and the eunuch said: "See, here is water! What hinders my being baptized?"

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he said: "Stand up and go into the city, and there you shall be told what you must do."

He stared at him in terror, and said, "What is it, Lord?" "Your prayers and your alms have risen for a memorial before God," answered the angel;

And again a second time came to him a voice, saying, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."

Now while Peter was greatly perplexed to know what the vision which he had been sent by Cornelius, and had made inquiries for the house of Simon, stood at the gate,

So Peter went down to the men and said: "I am the man you are looking for. What is the reason of your coming?"

"So I sent for you without delay, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to listen to what the Lord has commanded you to speak."

"I was in the city of Joppa, praying, and while in a trance I saw a vision; a certain vessel descending, what seemed to be an enormous sail let down to me,

"But for the second time a voice spoke from the sky, 'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.'

So Peter went out, following him, but did not realize that what the angel was doing was real, but supposed that he was seeing a vision.

When morning came there was no small stir among the soldiers as to what could possibly have become of Peter.

Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed. He was astounded at the teaching of the Lord.

And he sprang up and began to walk about. Then the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, shouted in the Lycaonian tongue, saying, "The gods are come down to us in human form."

Among them was a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, who belonged to the town of Thyatira. She, since she was a worshiper of God, listened to us, and the Lord opened her heart to attend to what Paul said.

and brought them out, saying, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

A few of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also encountered him again and again. Some were saying, "What has this beggarly fellow to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

Then they laid hold of him and brought him up to Mars Hill, saying. "May we be told what this new teaching of yours is?

"For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears. We want to know, therefore, what these things mean."

"For as I was passing along and observing your objects of worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What you are worshiping in ignorance, this I am proclaiming to you.

"Into what, then, were you baptized?" he asked. And they said, "Into the baptism of John."

And now I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what will befall me there,

"What do you mean by thus breaking my heart with your grief?" answered Paul. "For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus."

"Now what they have been told about you, again and again, is that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles, to forsake Moses, and not to circumcise their children, nor to follow the old customs.

"What then ought to be done? They will certainly hear that you are come.

"As for the Gentile believers, we wrote giving judgment that they should abstain from anything sacrificed to an idol, from blood, from what is strangled, and from fornication."

Then the tribune came up and seized him, and ordered that he be bound with two chains. "Who is he?" he began asking, "and what has he done?"

"And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' and the Lord said to me, 'Rise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about all that you are destined to do.'

"'For before the face of all men you will be a witness for him of what you have seen and heard.

the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and examined under the lash, to learn for what reason the people were thus crying out against him.

When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him. "What are you intending to do? This man is a Roman citizen."

Then a great clamor arose; some of the scribes who belonged to the Pharisaic party stood up, and contended. "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel?"

And the tribune took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

After reading the letter, he asked to what province he belonged, and when he understood that he was of Cilicia, he said,

"Or let these men themselves say what fault they found, when I appeared before the Sanhedrin!

"'But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you my minister and my witness both of what you have already seen and of those things in which I will appear to you.

"But having obtained the help that comes from God, I stand even to this day witnessing both to small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said should come;

"But we are eager to hear from you what it is that you believe; for we all know that as for this sect it is everywhere spoken against."

Some began to believe what he said, but some were unbelieving.